She was looking good… and knew it.
A Shy Spoonbill
Tag Archives: photography
Night Heron, Blacked-crowned
One of the Night Herons in a wildlife area that actually ignore us, for a short period of time.
Interesting to me is how green the lore is. The spot in front of their eyes turns green to help attract a mate. Around here large Herons start to pair late November – December. However smaller Herons wait until spring. Yet here he is, green lore.
A Corner Of Southern Veterans
This is Charleston, South Carolina. It’s not unusual to find grave sites, or whole cemeteries, of confederate veterans. Hey, the war started less than 10 miles straight down the road from here.
This spot was just a little different in the individuals buried together. It caught my eye since this was my first day out in a while and I was wandering (a bit aimlessly) slowly around the old stones.
In the 1800’s it was traditional to mark off burial plots with large, long, rectangular stone borders. The plots were for family, military regiments, or perhaps social groups like Masons.
But not here.
This small section (above) is all CSA, confederate soldiers with no other obvious connection. Also most were not killed during the war which is how the typical CSA cemeteries are laid out.
The obvious different age and quality of the head stones was striking.
The largest stone was a monument to someone killed and buried elsewhere early in the war. Probably during the first incursion north by southern troops. Seabrook is an old family name in South Carolina. Why is the monument almost hidden here and not in one of the big family church grave sites.
A few markers were for veterans that died many years after the war, the early 1900’s. All were CSA soldiers, but from different units.
The last little mystery is why at this spot, this group of men. Within this cemetery, the old Umbria Plantation land, is the CSA ‘Soldiers Ground’. It actually started during the Civil War because of the large number of troops needing to be buried. Many soldiers and sailors are buried there. This group could have been among them.
Just some thoughts and questions that occurred to me standing there, camera in hand, shooting outside in the nice weather.
All photographs taken at Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina.
Spoonbill Joining Others At Dawn
I have been publishing many series of Roseate Spoonbills for the last few weeks. There has been no shortage of opportunities this fall. Even with the far marsh roads closed, their preferred home, people have been spotting them many other places.
They look to be the next big success story, after the Wood Stork, for expanding their numbers.
If I view this image large I can actually see multiple generations. That’s a great sign.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
A Most Under Rated Heron
This particular shot caught the many different shades and colors of a Little Blue Heron.
Most times the light shows them just very dark. But sometimes you can get the purple and magenta shining through.
Truly a beauty.
This photograph best viewed large.
Dropping In, Roseate Spoonbill
While I could probably fill a book of Spoonbill landing photographs I find each to be dramatic. They just land with a flair.
And often immediately start to feed.
White Ibis
I had been under the impression Ibis were not a year round bird in the Lowcountry. The temperature has dropped at night, still they don’t look to be leaving.
Taken in marshlands around a Charleston Cemetery.
The Fishing Fleet, Pelicans
A few shots of cooperative fishing, Pelican style. Many birds hunt or fish in flocks but I don’t see any that coordinate the hunt like a White Pelican.
They will line up, almost shoulder to shoulder, and push fish forward.
Because these are massive birds it’s even more impressive if you can close like here. The Condor is the only North American bird larger than this Pelican.
In a marsh area flocks like this will fish as a group for a few days and then move on. They need to go, most of the fish are gone.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.